During the Coronavirus pandemic, a number of Hindi films have gone/or are going directly to the OTT platforms due to theatres being shut. But interestingly, a few actors and filmmakers have stood steadfastly by theatres, not giving in to temptation.

To start with, Kartik Aaryan has reportedly incorporated a new clause in his agreements that his films won’t premiere on any OTT platform. Plus, Salman Khan has stuck to the 70mm screen for Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai. Reliance Entertainment, too, delayed its two biggies — Sooryavanshi and ’83 — for a date with theatres. Filmmaker Aditya Chopra hasn’t had any of his films out on OTT. From South, too, Vijay, Prabhas, Yash and Jr NTR have decided not to take the digital route-first.

“If an actor or a producer sees merit in their films, they wouldn’t want to lose out on the upside of it all. An OTT platform may pay one ₹35-37 crore for a ₹30 crore film but if that same film does well, then there’s theatre earnings plus satellite and OTT,” says exhibitor-distribitor Akshaye Rathi.

Trade insiders, too, feel that the pre-Covid system of “theatres first” will be back soon. “No one wants to lose out on income because of their own doing. So, if films went to OTT during the peak of Covid-19, you understand but in the process, those movies lost out on overseas and other earning opportunities,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

For filmmaker Anees Bazmee, the lure of silver screen isn’t going anywhere. He says: “The love for big screen will always be there in every actor and maker’s heart. Everyone wants theatre first and then other mediums.”

Rathi feels that releasing a film in theatres has “multiple offshoots”.

“See, the entire concept of an actor’s stardom is directly linked to theatres, which determines their standing, endorsement fees and film pay etc. Plus, every actor and maker turned to filmmaking to make content for big screen and not any other medium,” he says.